Dr. Nicky Kay Michael

Protect and Prepare Kulamàlsihëmo hàch?  I hope this article finds you well and in good spirits.  Because my last article covered constitutional questions, I want to take this opportunity to provide a few highlights of projects I am personally involved as a Tribal Council member.  In preparing this article, I felt that two strong themes were evident, protection and preparation.  These are two values I exercise in daily life and it stands to reason I would do this for our people. One of the most important projects we were able to achieve last year was to obtain Section 106 guidance from the Caddo Chairwoman Tamara Francis-Fourkiller.  As a result we passed a resolution to increase our consultation prices.  Section 106 is a federal program assuring cell tower companies consult with us before building or adding to an existing tower on or near our historic lands.  Increasing the consultation fee significantly advanced our Delaware Tribal Historic...

We have a Delaware Tribe of Indians' Constitution and Bylaws, albeit a dated set from 1982.  Many tribal members and leaders wish to revise our constitution due to the numerous illusive meanings and the time period it was developed.  1982 hardly reflects our current trends and needs.  However, to do this right, a revision process will take some serious time and energy.   I have been in touch with the Honoring Nations program at Harvard University and they have advised me of the processes to attain the best help in the country for tribal constitution revision.  Despite the needs for revision, the current Constitution states the "Secretary shall have charge of all tribal correspondence." There are two schools of thought to this meaning. The opposition seems to argue that this means after the fact--that the Secretary is basically a record keeper.  My argument is that correspondence means the Secretary is ...